In the field of subsea hydrocarbon wells, it is common to utilize “Christmas Trees” when recovering materials, such as Oil or Gas, from a well. Christmas Trees perform a number of functions and may be configured to, for instance, direct the production of materials to a flow line in the production Tree, regulate fluid flow, monitor well parameters, such as pressure and temperature, and provide safety means to stop flow.
Traditionally, a Christmas Tree (or “Xmas tree” or “XT”) is categorized as either a “Horizontal” XT (HXT) or a conventional or “Vertical” XT (VXT). A typical VXT may include, for instance, a production and annulus bore that pass vertically through the Tree body, a Tubing Hanger system, valves, and one or more control systems. A VXT may also include a number of gate valves configured above the Tubing Hanger, which lands in the wellhead or Tubing Head Spool, such that a subsea VXT may be recovered without the need to recover the downhole completion. It is common for the master valve and swab valve of a VXT to be stacked vertically. A VXT may also be fitted with a Tree Cap to seal the Tree from the external environment and provide an additional barrier to internal pressure.
However, present equipment or VXTs do not enable the operation of a downhole Electrical Submersible Pump (ESP) via a wet-mate connection of power, signal, and/or hydraulic lines while providing a secondary pressure barrier to the environment.
Accordingly, there is a need for systems and methods to provide a Tree Cap that allows power, signal, and/or hydraulic function connections to be established between an Electrical Submersible Pump and a Vertical Christmas tree (VXT) control system.